


Once Upon a Starship

by penguinslash



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Rumbelle Christmas in July, Science Fiction, Spaceships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 07:08:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4426079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinslash/pseuds/penguinslash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….<br/>Earth’s finest astronauts find themselves trapped billions of lightyears from home in a war they cannot win. They must die at the hands of the Ogres, or become enslaved by the Darkest forces of the Universe. There are rumors that, in the right hands, the ISS MYSTHAVEN could be powerful enough to rip through the very fabric of spacetime itself. And some may be willing to find out. Desperate to find his lost son, Rumplestiltskin may have found the way. Commander Belle French is willing to make the sacrifice to save her people. And when two parties have something the other wants, a deal can always be made….</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon a Starship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tinuviel_Undomiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinuviel_Undomiel/gifts).



> My Rumbelle Christmas in July fic for the amazing Tinuviel-Undomiel! The prompt was Sci-Fi, secret affair, dark power. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> * * *

Once upon a long time ago,  
in a galaxy far, far away….

Earth’s finest astronauts find  
themselves trapped billions of  
lightyears from home in a war  
they cannot win. They must die  
at the hands of the Ogres, or  
become enslaved by the Darkest  
forces of the Universe. 

There are rumors that, in the right  
hands, the ISS MYSTHAVEN could  
be powerful enough to rip through  
the very fabric of spacetime itself.  
And some may be willing to find out. 

Desperate to find his lost son,  
Rumplestiltskin may have found  
the way. Commander Belle French  
is willing to make the sacrifice to  
save her people. And when two  
parties have something the other wants,  
a deal can always be made….

 

* * *

“Commander French?” the voice crackles through her headset. She sighs and adjusts her grip on the wrench to get more torque. 

“What? I’m kinda busy Gaz. You know not to interrupt me on a space walk.” 

“Sorry Belle. But there’s Ogres coming in on your six. You’ve gotta get back inside.”

“I’ll come in when I’m done repairing the deflector panel.”

“If you don’t come in now you’ll die.”  
“Yeah well if I don’t finish before they get here, we’ll all die,” she grits out, the bolt finally giving way to let her access the panel she needs. 

“Don’t be reckless Belles,” he sighs in frustration. She can picture him rubbing his temples and jabs at the buttons on the panel with a little more force than necessary. 

“I’m not being reckless. I’m protecting all your sorry asses,” she grumbles, reconnecting the frayed wires to fix the starship’s shields. 

“You’ve gotta look out for yourself. We can’t lose you too.”

She sighs and blinks back the tears that threaten to overwhelm her at the memory as she shuts the panel. “I think I’ve got it. Just run the diagnostic Lieutenant Stone.”

“Yes ma’am,” he grumbles. She taps her wrench against the side of the ship as she watches the code scroll by on her helmet’s HUD. She nods and tightens the bolts back on. 

“Looks good from here. How’s it looking in there?”

“Shields should be fully operational again. Now get back inside.”

“Roger that.” Belle tugs on her tether and maneuvers back towards the airlock. “I request permission to come aboard.” 

“Permission granted, Commander French,” a computerized voice answers as the airlock door slides open to let her in. She waits for the door to shut behind her and the green light telling her it’s safe before she unlatches her helmet. She steps through the now open second set of doors into a small storage bay to remove the rest of her space suit and put it away. Her communicator beeps from her pocket, and she pulls it out to check it on her walk back to the bridge, only to be interrupted by the flashing red lights and blaring sirens warning of an incoming Ogre attack. With a muttered curse she sprints to the bridge, crashing through the door and nearly falling over as the first missiles rock the ship. 

“You’re all welcome I got the shields back up in time,” she grumbles, stopping to give the Captain a kiss on the cheek before she straps herself into her seat next to him and readies her screens for battle. 

Captain Moe French turns to her with a fond look. “I’m glad you made it in safe. I was worried about you, you know. I can’t lose you too.”

She gives him a sad smile. “I’m fine Papa. Now let’s hope the shields hold because we won’t get that lucky again.” They both turn to the screens in front of them, Belle tapping at the keys and Captain Moe barking orders to the crew to counter the onslaught of Ogre attacks. 

 

When the smoke finally clears and the damage is assessed, the truth is painfully clear: the ESS Avonlea won’t survive another attack. 

The ship’s leaders cluster around the Captain’s worktable, the Captain himself slouched in his chair, resigned to their fate. Lieutenant Stone scowls at the schematics and damage reports spread on the screen before them. “There has to be another way.”

Moe shakes his head, “Face it. We’re done for.”

“No,” Belle counters, rising from her perch on the arm of her father’s chair. “We have to try.”

His face pales. “You don’t mean…?”

“Yes.”

“Belle we can’t.”

“Yes we can Papa. It might be our only chance.”

“I can’t lose you too, Belle.”

“You’ll lose me for sure if we don’t. At least this way we have a chance to survive.”

“You know there’s a price for that kind of power.”

“And I’m willing to pay it to save our people.”

Captain French nods grimly. “Alright. Summon a Dark One.” 

 

“Captain, Commander, we’ve got Ogres approaching again from all sides. E-minus 40 minutes until we’re in their firing range,” one of the techs calls from his seat at the radar screen. 

Moe slumps into his chair with a groan. “It’s too late. We’re done for.”

Belle turns away from the monitors with a sigh, kneeling down next to her father’s chair. “One could be on the way right now.”

He shakes his head, but his reply is interrupted by the radar tech. “Wait, Captain there’s something coming up on the monitor. Some sort of pod. It’s moving way too fast and it’s definitely not an Ogre…”

Belle jumps up and rushes back to her screen. “It must be him!”

“How could he slip past the Ogres without them attacking?” Moe sits up straight.

A signaling message pops up on the Comms screen. “It’s requesting to dock with us.”

Belle looks pleadingly to her father who nods, “Let it,” before rising and following her to the bridge door.

There’s a dull thud of metal hitting metal that reverberates through the room, followed by the mechanical whirring and hissing of the pod docking with the larger ship. Everyone’s attention is riveted to the bridge door that slides open to reveal

nothing. 

“Well that was a bit of a let down,” comes a high pitched giggling voice from behind them, that they spin around to find belonging to an Imp sitting in the Captain’s seat. He’s lounging comfortably in the chair, his golden scaly skin sparkling a strange greyish green in the light from the screens. “You sent a message. Something about ‘help, help. We’re dying. Can you help us?’”

Lieutenant Stone lifts his plasma gun and aims it at the intruder. The Imp scoffs and stands, approaching him. “The answer is yes, I can.” He waves his hand and the gun vanishes. “For a price.” 

Captain French steps forward. “We sent you a promise of--”

“I don’t want your useless trinkets. I require something far more important.” He circles the group, looking them each up and down to intimidate them. “My price… is something special. My price…” his gaze lands on Belle, who is standing tall and staring straight back at him, “... is her.” 

“No!” cries Moe.

Gaz steps in front of her protectively, “She’s my girlfriend.” Belle shoots an incredulous glare at his back, and the Dark One tilts his head in confusion. 

“I’m not looking for...that. I don’t care about your bizarre human entanglements.” He wiggles his fingers to wave him off. “I need a skilled engineer to work on my rather large...ship. It’s her, or no deal.” 

“No,” said Moe. “Leave.”

The Imp shrugs and starts walking back to the door. 

“No. Wait,” Belle calls out. He stops in his tracks and turns slowly to face her. She pushes past Gaz and walks up to the Imp. “I will go with him.”

“No!”

“You can’t!” come the protests of her father and boyfriend. 

She whirls around to face them. “No one decides my fate but me. I will go.”

“It’s forever dearie.”

“My family? My friends? They will all live?”

“You have my word.”

“Then you have mine. I will go with you. Forever.”

“Deal.” 

“Belle! No! You can’t do this. Please Belle…” 

“Father. Gaz. It’s been decided.”

“She’s right you know. The deal...is struck,” he grins. Belle sends one last look to her father, taking in the despair and resignation on his face before turning around and squaring her shoulders, allowing the Imp to lead her off the bridge to the doors, his hand resting gently and surprisingly comforting on the small of her back. 

“Congratulations on your little war!” he calls over his shoulder with a tittering giggle as they step through the doors, the mechanical whirring of them sliding shut sealing her fate, and the metal groan of his pod undocking from her ship taking her away from the only home she’s ever known. 

 

Belle watches on the pod’s view screens as they fly away from her old ship, a protective force field of swirling purple and crimson suddenly appearing around it and the multitude of Ogre vessels retreating. They would be safe. They would all be safe. Once her home has vanished from sight, she brushes the tears from her eyes and turns to study her new companion. He looks different in the softer lighting of the pod, his scales more warm and golden over the sharp point of his nose and the weathered lines on his face. His hair, curly and shoulder length, brushes the high collar of his long coat, which appears to be made of some sort of reptilian hide laced through with circuits. He notices her staring and quirks an eyebrow. She bites her lip and glances down before turning in her seat to face him. 

“Where are you taking me?”

If he seems surprised by the question, he doesn’t show it. “My ship.”

“Why?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?”

“I find it’s the most efficient way to learn something new.”

He looks at her for a moment, almost impressed. “You’ll do just fine,” he giggles before suddenly launching them into warp speed. 

Caught off guard, she quickly rights herself in her seat and glares at him. “You could warn me! And what is it I’ll do just fine?”

“Why work on my ship of course. Maintenance, repairs, diagnostics. Upgrades if you can. And um…” he trails off mumbling at her eager and expectant look. 

“And what?” she presses. 

“Perhaps some research.”

A huge grin breaks out on her face, even lighting up her vibrant blue eyes. She’s nearly vibrating in her seat with excitement. “Research? Really? What kind?”

“We’ll get to that.” He taps a button and the pod jolts out of warp speed. “We’re here. The DOS Spinner.” 

Belle looks up in awe at the enormous space ship looming ahead. It’s at least twice the size of her old ship and far more complex in its design. She feels a pang of sadness in her heart that her father isn’t there to see it. “Wow…I’m- I’m supposed to work on that?”

“Yes.”

“How big is your crew? On a ship this size I can’t even imagine…” she trails off when he waves his hand. 

“Just some Droids and AIs. As far as organic beings go…” he gestures to the two of them.

“Just the two of us?”

“Aye.”

She nods in understanding as the pod pulls into the docking bay. “Well I can’t wait to see inside. I hope your technology isn’t too different to what I’m used to working with. I mean I…”

“It should be similar enough to what you’re used to that you’ll catch on. Besides, a new perspective might come in handy.” He gets up quickly, somewhat embarrassed by the almost compliment and revealing just a little too much. “Come along now. Don’t need you getting lost.” He strides swiftly out of the pod and through the bay doors into the ship. She watches him go, slightly dazed, before she comes to her senses and rushes after him.

 

He takes her on a fairly thorough tour of the ship, where she meets some of his robotic crew: an astromech droid called Cogsworth who angrily beeps at the Imp and tries to run him over; a tall, golden humanoid droid with lights on his hands and head who introduces himself as Lumiere; and a motherly AI called Potts who fusses over Belle and chides the Imp, “Be good to her, Rumplestiltskin.” He takes her down a hallway full of bunk rooms, guiding her through a door into the most opulent officer’s quarters she’s ever seen, far larger than even the Captain’s rooms on her old ship. 

“Is this...for me?” 

“Yes. Get some rest. We start work in the morning.” He walks off to the doors at the end of the hall, no doubt leading to his own quarters. 

“Thank you!” she calls after him, smiling softly. The corners of his lips twitch up slightly before the door shuts behind him and she is alone. 

She takes her time exploring her new space. There’s a large bed in one corner, the sheets and blankets made of a shimmering blue material designed for comfort; she opens the wardrobe to find several sets of uniforms not unlike the one she was wearing, but of a high tech fabric of a far nicer quality, with the shirts blue instead of gold and bearing his insignia in place of hers. She is pleased to note that the new shirts still show the bars of her old rank as Commander, hopeful she can really make an impact on his ship. Belle closes the wardrobe and proceeds into the private bathroom, marveling at the beautiful yet practical design. She takes a quick shower and dons a new shirt before grabbing her communicator from the pocket of her old clothes and crawling into bed. 

The notification from earlier flashes up on her screen, completely forgotten about in the course of the day’s adventure. She taps on it, opening the message from mr_g0ld with a smile. 

**mr_g0ld:** _There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome._

_Pride and Prejudice_ , a classic Earth favorite of hers. Belle has been messaging this mr_g0ld for months now about their shared love of literature. Though she has of course worked her way through most of the Intergalactic Library Database, her favorites are the classics of her home planet, books she grew up sharing with her now-lost mother. It was a fitting choice of book for today, having lost everything she’s ever known. She thinks for a moment to chose a good quote, types her reply, and taps send before burrowing deeper into the blankets, the exhaustion of the day overtaking her. 

Down the hall, a communicator beeps with a new message. Rumplestiltskin sits up and opens it. 

**lacey-book:** _There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense._

He sends his reply with a smile, wondering if he’ll get along with his new shipmate as well as he gets along with his mystery literary chat friend. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Belle wakes up the following morning feeling more refreshed than she’s felt in ages. She hums to herself while she gets ready, then slowly makes her way back through the ship’s many corridors trying to find the galley. She arrives after a few wrong turns to find Rumplestiltskin already there leaning against the counter and drinking from a steaming cup. 

“Oh! Good morning, Rumplestiltskin.”

“Commander French,” he nods and picks up a communications tablet, holding it out to her. “Here, if you’ll have it. It’ll help you with everything on the ship.”

“Why thank you,” she takes it with a small smile, looking it over in amazement as she flicks through the streamlined interface. 

“Help yourself to breakfast.” He indicates the row of sleek metal cabinets, pointing to each in turn. “You’ll find Earth food you’re used to in there. That one contains some of my favorites, classic Imp dishes. And that one has the still beating hearts of murdered human infants.”

A gasp and a thud pulls his attention to Belle who is frozen with shock, the tablet no longer in her hands. 

“That one was a quip. Not serious.” 

“R-right,” she draws in a shaky breath, stooping to pick up the tablet she dropped. The top left corner of the screen now has a spiderweb of cracks. “I’m sorry...it’s chipped,” she bites her lip and looks up at him, turning the screen to show him the damage. “You...you can hardly see it.”

“It’s just a tablet,” he shrugs. 

 

Months pass, and Belle adapts to life aboard the DOS Spinner. She eats meals with Rumplestiltskin; she works all over the ship, inside and out. She gets to know the Droids and AIs, and she still finds time each day to message snippets of her favorite literature to her dear friend, mr_g0ld. 

She grows closer to Rumplestiltskin, challenged by his bright mind and more than a little aroused by his lithe form. This she keeps to herself, because though he can match and sometimes best her in a battle of wits, he becomes skittish when she flirts. Over time though, he becomes more receptive to her advances, occasionally even shyly returning them. She’s always known there’s something there, ever since her second morning when he gave her a new, unscathed tablet, but what really makes her smile is how he’s never using any tablet but the one she chipped, despite the fact that there’s dozens lying around on the ship. He’s even started letting her help with his research in the afternoons, studying wormholes, though he won’t quite tell her why. Sometimes though, when they work late into the night, she can see the sadness and desperation hidden behind his dark eyes. 

 

It’s after one such night that Rumplestiltskin walks along the corridor of his ship looking for Belle. She should have met him in the galley for lunch twenty minutes ago, but she had seemed a little off this morning so he thought it best to go find her. Especially after how sadly she had looked at him last night. No, not that he hates to see her sad, of course not. He couldn’t think of her like that. He rounds the corner and sees a supply closet door ajar; he frowns and pushes it open, only to stop short at the sight before him. Belle is sprawled on the floor, her back propped up against a low shelf, her pants shoved down to her knees and her hand moving furiously between her legs. He takes in the flush on her face and the beads of sweat pooling on her brow and sputters, “What are you doing?”

Her eyes snap up to him and her hand slows considerably but doesn’t stop. “Rumple!” 

He clears his throat and repeats, “What are you doing?” 

She narrows her eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing?!”

“Um-- well...touching yourself?”

“Yes, clearly. Would you like to help?” she offers. 

“What?! Help..?”

“Yes, help. Would you like to?”

“You-- you would want-- my help?” he gestures uselessly. 

“Yes!” 

“Why?”

“Because I want you, you daft Imp. Do you want me?”

“You-- yes, yes.”

“So help me?” 

“Yes, of course,” he nods, and she tugs him down to join her on the floor and guides his hand where she needs him, showing him how to please her.

“Just like that…” she moans, and he can feel his growing hardness strain against the tight confines of his trousers. He works his fingers faster, slipping one then two into her, curling them like she showed him. She comes with a breathy cry, her body going rigid for a moment before she slumps against him. “Oh...that was...thank you, Rumple,” she beams up at him, still breathing heavily. 

“You’re welcome,” he smiles back, still a bit dazed by this turn of events. He shifts to adjust himself in his pants, drawing Belle’s attention to his erection. 

“Would you like me to help you with that?” she smirks. He nods dumbly, making a strangled noise when she reaches down and cups him. He watches as she slowly unfastens his pants, her hand just barely brushing him with each movement. She tugs at his pants, and he lifts his hips to help her pull them down. She runs her hand gently over his length before bending over to press a kiss to the tip. 

“Belle! Wh-what are you doing?”

She grips his cock firmly. “Helping you. Is that okay?” She waits for him to nod before lowering her mouth to him once more, slowly pushing her lips around the head. Her tongue swipes over the tip, catching the bead of precum that had formed there as her hand slides down to cradle his balls. Rumple groans and tries to keep from thrusting as she takes him deeper into her mouth. It doesn’t take long with her tongue and lips working over him to bring him to the edge. 

“Belle I’m gonna--” he grunts in release, watching through half-lidded eyes as she milks his cock and swallows his seed. 

“Wow…” he collapses boneless against the shelf at his back, panting heavily. Belle curls up to his side, slipping a hand up his shirt with a grin. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while, you know.”

“Have you now?”

“Mhmm. I wouldn’t be opposed to doing it more often,” she gives him a sultry smirk. “Or even doing a bit more.” 

He grins and leans down to capture her lips in a searing kiss. 

 

Life aboard the DOS Spinner remains much the same after their encounter in the supply closet, though now the two organic occupants often spend the night in each other’s bed, or can be found in the various rooms and passageways of the ship in varying states of dress and decency at any hour of the day or night, much to the trauma of their robot companions. They continue to study wormholes, and how one could be forcibly opened with enough Dark Power. Belle continues her correspondence with mr_g0ld, less frequently now, though no less passionate. She finds her heart torn between a man she’s been half in love with from the beginning that she’s never met, and the Dark Imp who’s been slowly but sweetly winning her love. 

Belle strides down the hallway toward their workroom late one afternoon after a spacewalk to repair a malfunctioning solar panel. Rumplestiltskin would always get nervous when she had to go outside, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting any longer. The beep of her communicator slows her steps for a moment as she fishes it out and reads the message. 

**mr_g0ld:** _We are meant to love. We are meant to lose. Love is our promise of a bittersweet end, and our desperate, hopeless struggle not to hurt anyone along the way._

_Mayfly Requiem_. She bites her lip, looking between the screen in her hand and the workroom just up ahead. She takes a deep breath, pockets the communicator, and pushes open the door. 

Rumple is standing at the work table with his back to her, his eyes expectantly focused on the communicator in his hand. He looks up at the sound of the door closing behind her. “You’re back. Good-- good thing.”

“You’re happy I’m back already,” she rolls her eyes and wraps her arms around him. 

“I’m not unhappy,” he grins and kisses her softly. “Now where were we?”

She pulls back to look up at him. “I believe you were going to tell me about why you want to open a wormhole, and especially why you need the locations to be so precise.”

He sighs and motions for her to have a seat. “It’s a long story…”

“I’d love to hear it.”

He tells her about the Ogres Wars of his youth, how he joined the Dark Ones to save his beloved son Baelfire, how he lost him through a wormhole, and how he’s been searching for a way to find him ever since. They both have tears in their eyes when he finishes, hers from compassion and his from the pain of remembrance. 

She gently brushes the tears from his eyes. “And since then you’ve loved no one. And no one’s loved you.” When he nods she continues in a whisper, “I could love you, you know. We are meant to love. We are meant to lose. Love is our promise of a bittersweet end, and our desperate, hopeless struggle not to hurt anyone along the way.” She closes the distance with a hesitant kiss. He responds before her words hit him and he pulls back. 

“Who told you that?”

“What? Gold-- a book.”

“Gold?” He studies her for a moment before his gaze falls on the communicator her left on the table. “Lacey book?”

Her eyes go wide. “Mr Gold? You...” she gasps, the two halves of her heart coming together to focus on the perfectly imperfect Imp in front of her. “It was you all along?” 

He nods, just as surprised and awestruck as she. “I never thought….”  
“I love you.” 

“I love you too.”

Their lips crash together in a desperate, hungry kiss. He groans when her hands slide up into his hair and she pulls him even closer, making him almost forget about everything but the feeling of her body pressed up against his. She claws at his clothing, shoving his vest and shirt off his shoulders before stepping back to help him pull off her own shirt. Their boots and pants soon follow, as do their undergarments once they settle themselves on the tiny bunk in the workroom. Rumple trails kisses down Belle’s neck to her chest, eliciting gasps and moans as he runs his tongue over her hardened nipples. He kisses his way lower, pushing her legs apart and ducking his head to taste her, his long hair hiding his face and brushing against her inner thighs. The room fills with her breathy moans as he circles his tongue around her clit and dips it into her entrance, working her into a frenzy until she cries out his name in release. He gently laps at her swollen folds before kissing his way back up her trembling body and pressing his lips to hers. The taste of herself on his tongue has her grinding her hips against him in anticipation. 

“Please Rumple...make love to me.”

He reaches down to line them up and pushes into her slowly, savoring the feel of her tight wet heat around him. “So good, m’Belle.”

She wraps her legs around him, urging him to move, and her moans of harder and faster spur him on. “Come for me, Rumple.” He increases his pace until she cries out in pleasure, the fluttering of her walls drawing his release from him with an answering groan. His thrusts slow as they ride out their bliss before he collapses next to her, pulling her into his arms. 

Slowly their breathing evens out and Belle rubs her head against his bare chest. “So what do we do now, Rumple?”

He grins down at her. “If you give me a few minutes, I wouldn’t mind doing that again.”

She rolls her eyes and presses a kiss over his heart. “I meant about finding Baelfire.”

“Well if your calculations are correct, sweetheart, we need far more Dark Power than I can harness on my own.”

“So we’ll need to find help?”

He nods, “and I know just where to find it. The ISS Mysthaven.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Did you love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think.


End file.
